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Weekly review

The FTSE 100 ended the week up 80.92 points at 7,264.56.

Equity view

London Stock Exchange has appointed Goldman Sachs veteran David Schwimmer as its new chief executive.

Rolls-Royce updated the market on the ongoing Trent 1000 engine in-service issues on Friday, saying that, as part of its ongoing inspection and testing of those engines, it had decided to carry out additional engine inspections to those previously planned.

Sage Group tumbled on Friday as it cut its full-year guidance to reflect "inconsistent operational execution".

AIM-listed Altitude Group has appointed Graeme Couturier as its new chief financial officer.

Intertek Group on Thursday said it has agreed to buy Proasem, a provider of laboratory testing, inspection, metrology and training services, based in Colombia, for an undisclosed sum.

National Grid said major storms in the US will dampen its full-year profits, which for earnings per share will be largely offset by better finance costs and tax.

Countryside Properties has acquired Leicester-based partnerships housebuilder Westleigh for up to £135.4m in cash on a debt free and cash free basis.

Gambling technology company Playtech on Thursday said it had agreed to buy 70.6% of Italian betting and gaming outfit Snaitech from two major shareholders for €846m.

Webuyanycar.com owner BCA Marketplace said full year trading was ahead of expectations with “strong profit growth and with a net debt position lower than market forecasts”.

Budget airline EasyJet said late on Tuesday that it had submitted a revised expression of interest for a restructured Alitalia as part of a consortium.

Support services and construction company Interserve said on Wednesday that it is seeking to convene a general meeting to obtain shareholder approval to increase its borrowing limit as it expects significant balance sheet writedowns.

Real estate investment trust RDI on Tuesday said it had exchanged contracts for the disposal of the City Point office building in Leeds to West Midlands Pension Fund for £26.05m.

James Fisher and Sons said it had won a £50m 10 year integrated marine services contract by an unnamed UK-based, international, integrated energy company.

FTSE 250-listed office space provider Workspace Group said it had been given planning permission for a £15m refurbishment at The Shaftesbury Centre in west London's Ladbroke Grove.

Informa's proposed acquisition of UBM has received a number of regulatory approvals and the companies are confident they can complete the deal by the end of the second quarter of this year.

Swiss drug maker Novartis has agreed to buy US-based clinical stage gene therapy company AveXis for $8.7bn in cash, or $218 per share.

Rolls-Royce has agreed to sell its wholly-owned subsidiary L’Orange, a parts maker, to US-based Woodward for an enterprise value of €700m (£610m).

Digital media content provider One Media iP Group announced the appointment of Lord Michael Grade as non-executive director and Ivan Dunleavy as non-executive chairman of the group on Monday.

Economic news

Prime minister Theresa May has received unanimous support from her cabinet to take action against Syrian president Bashar Al Assad’s regime after the alleged chemical attack on the city of Douma last week, which several countries - including the US, UK and France - believe was carried out by the Syrian government and its main allies, Russia and Iran.

EDF Energy warned customers on Thursday that it will raise the standing charge on its variable electricity services by 1.4% from June, increasing costs for as many as 1.3m British households as a result.

Music companies across the UK saw revenues grow at the fastest rate since Britpop's height two decades ago, as services like Spotify and Apple Music brought more income to the industry from streaming than through CD sales for the first time.

The proposed new chairman of the oft-criticised UK antitrust watchdog has implied he will ramp up the body's level of investigations and enforcement, with parliament expected to shortly approve the new appointment.

UK construction output fell sharply in February, taking a hit from adverse weather conditions, according to data from the Office for National Statistics.

UK manufacturing output is growing at the slowest rate since last summer, according to official figures released on Wednesday that came in well below forecast.

UK ministers are looking into banning junk food advertisements on social media and television in a plan to fight youth obesity.

In an attempt to secure the UK's position as a global leader in the growing cyber security sector, a brand new world-first cyber innovation centre will be built at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

Britons want another referendum before finally leaving the European Union in March 2019, according to a new survey carried out by YouGov.

UK house prices rose more than expected in March, according to the latest figures from mortgage lender Halifax.

International events

Consumer sentiment in the US deteriorated in April amid trade war worries, according to data from the University of Michigan.

The single currency bloc's trade surplus with the rest of the world widened in February, but only because imports fell more quickly than exports.

US import prices flattened out last month, amid a sharp drop in the cost of fuel purchased from overseas.

The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits fell a little less than expected last week, according to data from the Labor Department.

Consumer prices in the States dipped unexpectedly last month, but in the yearly comparison inflation still overshot economists' forecasts.

House Speaker Paul Ryan informed those close to him that he would not actively seek re-election before publicly announcing the decision later on Wednesday.

The slide in Russia's currency was extending into its second day on Thursday afternoon in the wake of the most recent set of US sanctions.

Chinese President Xi Jinping gave a speech on Tuesday where he promises the China would lower tariffs on vehicle imports this year as one of many measures to “open its economy to the world”.

North Korea has informed the United States that it is prepared to discuss denuclearisation when the country’s leader Kim Jong-un meets President Trump, a US official said on Sunday.

A UN meeting in Geneva on Monday will be closely watched by the global defence industry as government officials from around the world gather to discuss whether or not to regulate killer robots after artificial intelligence experts have condemned their development.